November 8, 2026
In this edition:
- Apogee View
- NASA Announces Continued CubeSat Launch Initiative Missions
- AmsatDroid Free Resurrected as a New Android Satellite Tracker
- DXCC Satellite Standing November 2026
- VUCC Satellite Standing November 2026
- Changes to AMSAT TLE Distribution for November 6, 2026
- Ambassador Events
- ARISS News
- Satellite Shorts from All Over
The AMSAT(R) News Service bulletins are a free, weekly news and information service of AMSAT, the Radio Amateur Satellite Corporation. ANS publishes news related to Amateur Radio in Space including reports on the activities of a worldwide group of Amateur Radio operators who share an active interest in designing, building, launching and communicating through analog and digital Amateur Radio satellites.
The news feed on http://www.amsat.org publishes news of Amateur Radio in Space as soon as our volunteers can post it.
Please send any amateur satellite news or reports to: ans-editor [at] amsat.org .
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Apogee View
Greetings! It was great to see and spend time with many of you at our AMSAT Space Symposium in Jacksonville, Florida, in early October. Despite some challenges, including a nearby Hurricane Isaias, the event was well attended and productive. Iâd like to personally thank Stephen Grant, KB4YKC, and Paul Locke, KB4PML, for hosting the event and, especially, for putting up with me.
AMSAT President Drew Glasbrenner, KO4MA (Photo: AMSAT)AMSAT is open to proposals to host next yearâs Symposium; please contact me if youâd like to share your city with AMSAT for our annual meeting.
One of the more newsworthy announcements from Symposium was the release of information regarding new AMSAT LTM partners. Our LTM program provides a space-qualified CubeSat radio for qualified missions, with the agreement that the included 30 kHz-wide linear transponder be operated once in orbit. We initiated this program with HuskySat-1 (HO-107) and continued it with MESAT1 (MO-122).
The first of these partners is JoanSat, a 1U mission launching in November 2027. Our partnership with the JoanSat mission resulted directly from our presence at CalPolyâs CubeSat Developerâs Workshop in April 2026. JoanSat is well documented at joansat.org.
Our second new partner is Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University in Daytona Beach, FL. Their satellite is called COMET. COMET is planned as a 12U University Nanosat Program that will separate in orbit into two 6U satellites to test a 24 GHz steerable beam link between the pair. Each 6U will carry an independent AMSAT LTM.
Our third new partner is Rice University and their OwlSat mission. OwlSat is a 1U CubeSat with an Extreme Ultraviolet monitoring experiment. This project is in the early stages of development.
Iâm still in discussions with a fourth partner who wishes to fly an LTM on a 3U CubeSat mission. Hopefully, by my next Apogee View, Iâll be able to share more details about this partnership. Keep in mind these five planned LTM satellites are in addition to the LTMs included in FoxPlus-A and GOLF-TEE!
Another announcement from the General Meeting part of the Symposium is regarding the creation of a High Orbit Committee. I want to assemble an AMSAT team to put together some notional payloads that we can shop to various rideshare providers.
In my presentation, I described this as having a plan for when the dog catches the car. As I have often written and spoken about, I have been reaching out to make contacts in the rideshare arena, trying to find us a ride to somewhere above LEO.
I am not focusing on any one orbit (such as GEO) because we must be flexible and open to any possibilities, whether itâs MEO, GTO, GEO or some exotic disposal orbit. Anything that gives us long access and a large footprint is of interest, and we need to actively pursue such opportunities. If this seems like something you have skills and interest in, please email me directly at aglasbrenner@amsat.org.
On November 2nd, I was honored to attend a kickoff meeting for the ARISS/AMSAT Amateur Radio Exploration (AREx) Lunar Team. Thank you to Frank Bauer, KA3HDO, for leading this initiative to include Amateur Radio in future lunar missions. AMSAT is proud to support this initiative, and Iâm excited to see what we can do on or around the Moon! More to come on this soon!
Lastly, our treasurer, Steve Belter, N9IP, is looking for one or two assistants to help manage our financial efforts. If this is an area where you can assist AMSAT, please reach out to Steve or me to start a discussion.
73, Drew KO4MA
[ANS thanks Drew Glasbrenner, KO4MA, AMSAT President for the above information.]
The 2026 Presidentâs Club Coin â Only a Few Weeks Left!
Help Support GOLF and FoxPlus.
Annual memberships start at only $120
Join the AMSAT Presidentâs Club today and help
Keep Amateur Radio in Space!
https://www.amsat.org/join-the-amsat-presidents-club/
NASA Announces Continued CubeSat Launch Initiative Missions
Jerry Buxton, N0JY, AMSAT VP-Engineering reports that NASA has confirmed that their CubeSat Launch Initiative selections that were idled when CSLI went on hold will again be honored for both GOLF-TEE and GOLF-1 satellites.
Buxton explains, âNote that selection does not guarantee a launch, as has always been known as part of the CSLI process.
âHowever, since CSLI has been re-activated, we will not have to find a commercial launch.
âWe are setting the deadline for GOLF-TEE to be âready for handoverâ to a launch mission (integration) of December 15, 2027. This gives NASA a renewed and updated focus on our desired orbit that they use to match type of launch vehicle and the timing of a launch in order to get a ride coming as soon as possible after that date.
âAs is usually the case, this means we may be manifested on a launch any time after the first of the year. That begins the launch mission process and the required paperwork that helps ensure our payload is safe and proper leading up to the actual integration date for that launch.
For the same reason, we have renewed/updated the readiness date for GOLF-1 to December 15, 2028.â
Jerry also noted that, âThe agency anticipates releasing the next CSLI solicitation in 2028. NASA will provide additional information about eligibility, requirements, and how to apply closer to the solicitationâs release.â
[ANS thanks Jerry Buxton, N0JY, AMSAT VP-Engineering for the above information.]
AmsatDroid Free Resurrected as a New Android Satellite Tracker
David Johnson, G4DPZ reports that an old satellite tracking friend for smartphones has returned to the living.
âIâm pleased to say Iâve resurrected AmsatDroid Free as a completely new implementation. The old app had aged out with the Android platform, so rather than patch it I rebuilt it from the ground up in Kotlin with a modern Jetpack Compose interface, while keeping the same proven SGP4/SDP4 orbit-prediction core (predict4java) under a regression test so predictions stay faithful.
AmsatDroid Free unique night view (Photo: David Johnson)âWhat it does:â
- Pass prediction for your location, with a sky view and a ground-track map
- Doppler-corrected downlink and uplink frequencies, updated live during a pass, including inverting (U/V) transponders
- Transponder frequencies come from Peter Goodhallâs (MM9SQL) OscarWatch database, synced automatically so they stay current
- Pass alerts with a countdown notification and optional spoken announcements
- Compass-oriented sky chart and an aiming aid for hand-held antennas
- An all-satellite overview of whatâs up now and coming soon
- A home-screen widget for your next pass
- Automatic Keplerian element updates (Celestrak or AMSAT)
- Tablet and foldable layouts, per-app language, and a red night mode for observing without spoiling your night vision
âIt runs on Android 11 and later and is free and open source (GPL-3.0). The source, with screenshots, is on GitHub:
https://github.com/g4dpz/AmsatDroidFree
âIt will also be available on the Google Play Store in a few days, once account setup completes.â
[ANS thanks David Johnson, G4DPZ for the above information.]
AMSAT Remove Before Flight Key Tags Now Available
Yes, These are the Real Thing!
Your $20 Donation Goes to Help Fly a FoxPlus Satellite
Includes First Class Postage (Sorry â U.S. Addresses Only)
Order Today at https://www.amsat.org/product/amsat-remove-before-flight-keychain
DXCC Satellite Standing November 2026
DXCC Satellite Award/Endorsement Change Summary for October 01, 2026 to November 01, 2026.
| OE9DGV | 221 | 223 |
|---|---|---|
| DL2GRC | 203 | 206 |
| F4BKV | 187 | 200 |
| G4WFQ | 183 | 200 |
| HB9RYZ | 176 | 180 |
| ON4AOI | 176 | 178 |
| EA2AA | 174 | 176 |
| IK0WMJ | 159 | 163 |
| EA1N | 139 | 150 |
| SM2OAN | 117 | 123 |
| OH3DP | 114 | 119 |
| SV8CKM | 109 | 117 |
| YB5QZ | 100 | 117 |
| W8LR | 115 | 116 |
| HB9BIN | 105 | 106 |
| JS1LQI | New | 100 |
| ZS1A | New | 100 |
Congratulations to the new DXCC Satellite holders:
JS1LQI
ZS1A
[ANS thanks Jon Goering, N7AZ, for the above information.]
VUCC Satellite Standing November 2026
VUCC Satellite Award/Endorsement Change Summary for October 01, 2026 to November 01, 2026.
| PY2PIM | 1354 | 1426 |
|---|---|---|
| EA2AA | 1285 | 1301 |
| JA1QJI | 1006 | 1145 |
| E70A | 1126 | 1144 |
| K9UO | 1030 | 1040 |
| W8LR | 921 | 936 |
| JS1LQI | 876 | 934 |
| VE7PTN | 794 | 817 |
| F6GLJ | 805 | 811 |
| WD9EWK | 791 | 792 |
| JH1NHK | 500 | 705 |
| JI5USJ | 601 | 625 |
| OH3DP | 551 | 600 |
| JI5RPT/1 | 400 | 500 |
| K5WO | 365 | 401 |
| IK6GZM | 234 | 235 |
| PT2VM | 150 | 200 |
| KD8RTT | 150 | 154 |
| MM0INH | 107 | 125 |
| K7IU | New | 120 |
| BA8BLK | New | 100 |
| KO6MBI | New | 100 |
Congratulations to the new VUCC Satellite holders:
K7IU
BA8BLK
KO6MBI
BA8BLK is first VUCC-Satellite holder from OM21.
[ANS thanks Jon Goering, N7AZ, for the above information.]
Need new satellite antennas? Purchase M2 LEO-Packs
from the AMSAT Store and Get Free Shipping!
When you purchase through AMSAT, a portion of the proceeds goes towards
Keeping Amateur Radio in Space.
https://amsat.org/product-category/hardware/
Changes to AMSAT TLE Distribution for November 6, 2026
Two Line Elements or TLEs, often referred to as Keplerian elements or keps in the amateur community, are the inputs to the SGP4 standard mathematical model of spacecraft orbits used by most amateur tracking programs. Weekly updates are completely adequate for most amateur satellites. TLE bulletin files are updated daily in the first hour of the UTC day. New bulletin files will be posted immediately after reliable elements become available for new amateur satellites. More information may be found at https://www.amsat.org/keplerian-elements-resources/.
This week there are no additions or deletions to the AMSAT TLE distribution.
General Perturbations Data Support
AMSAT is pleased to announce that modern forms of what are called General Perturbations data are being disseminated via modern formats including JSON, XML and KVN at https://newark192.amsat.org/gpdata/current/. The reason this change is being made is that we are running out of 5-digit catalog numbers and the TLE format is not viable for satellites launched after July of this year. See https://celestrak.org/NORAD/documentation/gp-data-formats.php for details.
These data are presently considered in beta test for the next few months while hosted on the test server newark192.amsat.org, and we are very open to community feedback at webmaster at amsat.org. Testers may experience outages and errors while we make improvements. We intend to put this into production on our main web server in July as we expect that satellites launched after this summer will require one of the new formats to accommodate longer object numbers. AMSAT will continue to publish TLE bulletins for satellites launched before July 2026 indefinitely.
[ANS thanks Joe Fitzgerald, KM1P, AMSAT Orbital Elements Manager for the above information.]
ARISS NEWS
Amateurs and others around the world may listen in on contacts between amateurs operating in schools and allowing students to interact with astronauts and cosmonauts aboard the International Space Station. The downlink frequency on which to listen is 145.800 MHz worldwide.
- Scheduled Contacts
Pinecrest Academy of Northern Nevada, Sparks, NV, telebridge via IK1SLD.
The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be OR4ISS.
The scheduled crewmember is Luke Delaney, KJ5PPF.
The ARISS mentor is Charlie Sufana, AJ9N.
Contact is go for Tuesday, November 10, 2026 at 18:16 UTC.
Watch for Livestream at www.youtube.com/@pinecrestnnvSS.
Ecole Secondaire du Sommet, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada, telebridge via VK4ISS.
The ISS callsign is presently scheduled to be NA1SS.
The scheduled crewmember is Joshua Kutryk, KJ5BFU.
The ARISS mentor is Wayne Harasimovitch, VE1WPH.
Contact is go for: Friday, November 13, 2026 at 18:07 UTC.
The crossband repeater continues to be active (145.990 MHz up {PL 67} & 437.800 MHz down). If any crewmember is so inclined, all they have to do is pick up the microphone, raise the volume up, and talk on the crossband repeater. So give a listen, you just never know.
As always, if there is an EVA, a docking, or an undocking; the ARISS radios are turned off as part of the safety protocol.
Note, all times are approximate. It is recommended that you do your own orbital prediction or start listening about 10 minutes before the listed time.
The latest information on the operation mode can be found at https://www.ariss.org/current-status-of-iss-stations.html
The latest list of frequencies in use can be found at https://www.ariss.org/contact-the-iss.html
[ANS thanks Charlie Sufana, AJ9N, one of the ARISS operation team mentors for the above information.]
LIMITED TIME OFFER!
AMSAT is offering a limited-time promotion for new and renewing members that includes a free digital copy of Getting Started with Amateur Satellites. The promotion is being offered as AMSAT begins the 2026 membership year.
Anyone who joins or renews their AMSAT membership during the promotional period will receive a download link for the latest edition of Getting Started with Amateur Satellites in their membership confirmation email.
JOIN TODAY at https://launch.amsat.org/
(Remember! Students join for FREE!)
AMSAT Ambassador Activities
AMSAT Ambassadors provide presentations, demonstrate communicating through amateur satellites, and host information tables at club meetings, hamfests, conventions, maker faires, and other events.
November 14, 2026
Southern Arizona Fall Hamfest
Oro Valley Amateur Radio Club
Marana Middle School
11285 W. Grier Rd.
Marana AZ
https://www.tucsonhamradio.org/hamfest
N1UW
[ANS thanks Bo Lowrey, W4FCL, Director â AMSAT Ambassador Program, for the above information.]
Satellite Shorts From All Over
- The 2027 CubeSat Developers Workshop (March 30 â April 1, 2027 at California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo) is now accepting abstracts for oral and poster presentations. The Call for Abstracts opens today and closes Monday, January 11, 2027 at 11:59 PM Pacific Time. Submissions are open to industry, government, academia, and student teams. Submissions are peer-reviewed for relevance to CubeSat missions, technical quality, clarity, and potential impact. We encourage completed results and well-motivated in-progress work with credible test/validation plans. Notifications will be sent by the end of January. Complete information at https://cubesatdw.org . (Look for âCall for Abstracts.â) [ANS thanks cubesat.org for the above information.]
- The Goddard Space Flight Center Technical Career Panel is offering a live interactive session hosted as part of NASAâs Career and Technical Education (CTE) Day. The Goddard Space Flight Center Technical Career Panel is designed for high school, trade/technical, and college students, the program connects participants directly with NASA subject matter experts who build and test real-world spaceflight hardware, optics, and electronics. Students get a look at what a typical day looks like for technicians, machinists, and engineers who craft physical flight hardware rather than just traditional desk-based research. With live Q&A access, registered classrooms and students can submit questions ahead of time or live during the broadcast to ask engineers about their unique career paths, trade credentials, and schooling. The event is held on December 9, 2006 and the deadline for registration is December 2 at 11:59 PM ET. Educators and students can review the guidelines and sign up via the official NASA STEM Gateway Course Offering at https://tinyurl.com/ANS-312-Career-Panel. [ANS thanks nasa.gov for the above information.]
- A week doesnât go by without ANS editors hearing about several new satellite tracking apps. Besides the above announcement about AmsatDroidâs resurrection, here are three more apps recently announced by ambitious hams. For one, look at https://orbitnight.com/radar/25544 that has the usual tracking, Doppler correction, rig and rotor control features. It also provides a unique channel plan with 5kHz channel steps and when to switch them for FM birds. For yet another way to go, see Deck at https://deck.map73.com. Deck is a browser based program that controls Icom handhelds with built in APRS, SSTV and Morse decoding. A third program, OrbitalRadar is unique in that it provides a sobering look at space congestion with its mind blowing 3D display of every satellite currently in orbit. Look for it at https://orbitalradar.com. [ANS thanks the OrbitNight, Deck and OrbitalRadar respectively for the above information.]
Join AMSAT today at https://launch.amsat.org/
In addition to regular membership, AMSAT offers membership to:
Societies (a recognized group, clubs or organization).
Students are eligible for FREE membership up to age 25.
Memberships are available for annual and lifetime terms.
Contact info [at] amsat.org for additional membership information.
73 and remember to help Keep Amateur Radio in Space!
This weekâs ANS Editor, Frank Karnauskas, N1UW.
f.karnauskas [at] amsat [dot] org
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